Preparing for red light therapy takes about five minutes and mostly comes down to one thing: making sure nothing blocks the light from reaching your skin. Whether you’re using a panel at home or a device at a clinic, a few simple steps before and after each session can noticeably improve your results.
Start With Clean, Bare Skin
The single most important preparation step is washing the treatment area. Red light therapy works by delivering specific wavelengths (typically 630 to 660 nanometers for red, and longer wavelengths for near-infrared) into your skin, where cells absorb the energy. Any layer sitting on top of your skin can scatter or block that light before it gets where it needs to go.
Use a gentle, water-based cleanser to remove oil, dirt, sweat, and makeup. You want clean, dry skin with nothing on it. Heavy creams, facial oils, and occlusive moisturizers all create a physical barrier that reduces how much light penetrates. Tinted products and mineral sunscreens are even worse: formulas containing iron oxides are specifically designed to block visible light, which includes the exact red wavelengths your device is emitting. Save all skincare products for after your session.
If you’re treating an area on your body rather than your face, the same rule applies. Shower or wipe down the area beforehand, and skip any lotions or body oils until you’re done.
Know Your Distance and Duration
How far you hold the device from your skin and how long you leave it on both affect your results, and the right settings depend on what you’re treating.
For skin concerns like fine lines, tone, or texture, holding the device about 6 inches away softens the intensity to the ideal range. A session of roughly 6 minutes at that distance delivers an effective dose for surface-level benefits. For deeper targets like sore muscles or stiff joints, near-infrared wavelengths penetrate further, and you’ll want the device as close to your skin as comfortably possible. Sessions for deep tissue generally run longer, around 12 minutes, because the light has more ground to cover.
If you’re new to red light therapy, start conservatively. Three to five sessions per week at 1 to 10 minutes per treated area gives your body time to adjust. Over the following weeks, you can gradually increase to daily use, up to about 20 minutes per area. If you have sensitive skin, err on the shorter side and work up slowly. More is not always better with light therapy: overdoing it can actually diminish the benefits, a phenomenon researchers call the biphasic dose response. Think of it like exercise, where a moderate amount helps but too much causes strain.
Protect Your Eyes
Eye protection depends on how close you are to the device and whether your face is in the beam. If you’re treating your back, legs, or another area away from your eyes, you generally don’t need goggles. But if you’re standing in front of a full-body panel or treating your face from a short distance (two feet or less), certified safety goggles are a good idea, especially with high-powered devices.
Regular sunglasses won’t cut it. They reduce brightness but don’t filter red and near-infrared wavelengths effectively. Look for goggles specifically rated for red light and near-infrared use. Many device manufacturers sell compatible pairs. If children or pets are in the room during your session, keep them out of the beam path or give them eye protection too.
For lower-power devices used at greater distances with sessions between 5 and 20 minutes, simply closing your eyes is typically sufficient. Your device’s instruction manual should specify what’s recommended for your particular model.
Check Your Medications First
Certain medications make your skin more reactive to light. While red light therapy uses non-UV wavelengths and carries far less risk than sun exposure, photosensitizing drugs are still worth knowing about before you start a routine. The FDA has documented the primary classes of medications that increase light sensitivity:
- Tetracycline antibiotics (doxycycline, minocycline, and others commonly prescribed for acne or infections)
- Oral contraceptives and estrogens
- NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen
- Retinoids (used for psoriasis and severe acne)
- Thiazide diuretics (a common type of blood pressure medication)
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Sulfonamide antibiotics
- Sulfonylureas (oral diabetes medications)
If you’re taking anything in these categories, start with very short sessions and watch for unusual redness or irritation. Topical retinoids (tretinoin, adapalene) should not be applied before a session both because they increase sensitivity and because they form a layer that interferes with light absorption. Use them at a different time of day instead.
What to Wear During a Session
Red light can’t penetrate clothing, so you need to expose whatever area you’re treating. For a full-body panel, that means stripping down to underwear or treating in the nude. For targeted devices, just uncover the specific area. There’s no need for any special clothing or preparation beyond that.
Some people find it comfortable to set up in a warm room since you’ll be standing or sitting still for several minutes with skin exposed. The devices themselves produce mild warmth, but not enough to heat a cold room.
What to Do Right After Your Session
The minutes immediately following a session are actually the best time to apply your skincare products. Red light therapy temporarily increases blood flow to the skin’s surface, and applying serums and moisturizers within 60 seconds of finishing takes advantage of this enhanced absorption window.
The ideal post-session routine is straightforward: apply any water-based serums first (vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide), then layer a moisturizer on top to seal everything in. This is also when you’d apply your tinted products, mineral sunscreen, or any other cosmetics you removed before the session. If you’re treating for muscle or joint relief rather than skin health, post-session skincare obviously isn’t relevant, but gentle stretching while the area is warm can complement the therapy.
Setting Up a Consistent Routine
Red light therapy is cumulative. A single session won’t produce dramatic changes, but a consistent routine over weeks tends to show results. Most people find it easiest to build sessions into an existing habit: right after a morning shower (when your skin is already clean) or as part of an evening skincare routine.
Keep a simple log for the first few weeks, noting your session length, distance, and how your skin responds. This helps you dial in your ideal dose without overdoing it. If you notice any persistent redness, warmth that lasts more than an hour, or irritation, scale back your session time or increase your distance from the device. The goal is a mild, pleasant warmth during treatment and no lingering skin reaction afterward.